Fighting Pits for all!

[Verion]

The Ministery of Sport recently was flooded with letters and emails from local governments requesting the establishment in their regions. Of course we, as servants of the people, will head their calls and therefore decided to give every Shirerithian city with a population above 100.000 a state-subsidized fighting pit.

The local governments are granted full responsibility with regard to the safety of the pits.

The Ministery of Sport also declares that today it will start the 'Blood-Tour' around Shireroth, to ensure that these fighting pits are established and to make the people of Shireroth aware of this beautiful branch of sports.

[Rei Milharna]

As former MiniSport, I'd like to see some manner of combat sport get big here. Especially boxing.

[Verion]

The Ministry of Sport is delighted to announce that the first Fighting Pit of this program has been opened in Kingsgate.

[Ryker]

By far. The worst. Place. To install. An arena.

I know you aren't implying that this sport is in any way shape or form based on the gladiator fights of ancient Rome because your fighters kill eachother regularly. Roman gladiators were rarely killed intentionally (think about the drain on resources during training). All of that is to say that, while I'm glad to see this ministry on the incline, I am absolutely against this sport in itself.

[Tokaray al-Osman]

Gladiators were killed sparingly as they represented a considerable investment (akin to top-flight footballers today) but convicts and other social-undesirables were killed as a matter of routine. (Before anyone gets any ideas we won't be entertaining this form of entertainment 'across the border' either).

[DES Senya]

Should have invested it boxing rings, if you wanted fighting. Maybe even wrestling. But surely not killing? By no stretch of the imagination would this "sport" ever penetrate the borders of us Senyans. Or maybe we're too nice to kill?...

[Vilhelm Benkern]

The Ministery of Sport recently was flooded with letters and emails from local governments requesting the establishment in their regions. Of course we, as servants of the people, will head their calls and therefore decided to give every Shirerithian city with a population above 100.000 a state-subsidized fighting pit.

The County of Mar Sara has received a significant number of representations from the citizens of North Mar Sara, especially in the ancient city of Sant Mateu. The Archmunicipal Government has sanctioned for the construction of a Dockside Combat Arena, under the following terms:

• All participants to be fully trained
• Convicts may opt to compete in exchange for career service in the Prison Ombudsmen Service of the Marechaussee

We would be honoured if the Ministry of Sport operated the Arena.

[Verion]

By far. The worst. Place. To install. An arena.

I know you aren't implying that this sport is in any way shape or form based on the gladiator fights of ancient Rome because your fighters kill eachother regularly. Roman gladiators were rarely killed intentionally (think about the drain on resources during training). All of that is to say that, while I'm glad to see this ministry on the incline, I am absolutely against this sport in itself.

What is Rome? This sport was introduced by the ministry because it shows bravery and because it is an easy way to get rid of unwanted individuals in your local area.

[Rei Milharna]

It's also the single most barbaric thing I have ever seen or heard of. It's more barbaric, even, than the old Safirian practice of feeding criminals to the dragons!

Also, read Dictator Romanus et seq.

[Ryker]

What is "brave" about sentencing convicts (I'd like to think that they were at least given a fair trail) to their death in front of thousands of spectators for money?

[Verion]

The weak will whine, the strong will fight.

[Ryker]

So it isn't always a fair fight?

[Verion]

20 prisoners with blunted swords against one trained combateer should be fair.

[Vilhelm Benkern]

Unfair fights simply wouldn't be entertaining, so the commercial nature of these arenas would force them to be interesting, and the best way for that to ensure that is to have combatants with different features who are somewhat equally matched. Two huge fighters versus three or four small fighters, for example.

[Verion]

Exactly, Capitalism is always the solution to whatever problem.

[Ryker]

I must insist that the killing stops now. At the very least allow a member of the Priesthood to give a week of training to the victims of this barbaric "sport".

[Verion]

Well, we give the local government a large say in how the pits are ran, so I think the latter could be arranged. The only problem is that it might be too much for the budget the ministry has set for the Kingsgate pit.

[Ryker]

There is no Kingsgate pit. And the training is free, if this is going to happen it should be a fair fight.

[Ryker]

I'm talking about sending trainers to other pits.

[Vilhelm Benkern]

Well, the Dockside Arena comes under the jurisdiction of the Archmunicipality of Sant Mateu and the County of Mar Sara, and therefore has little to do with Goldshire. Unless standards are implemented by the Ministry of Sport as part of its management of the fighting league, we will continue to set and maintain our own rigorous procedures for ensuring high quality sport.